Catherine the Great: Love, Sex, and Power

I am not a historian. I am a person who Just wanted to know more about Catherine the great. She shares the same birthday as me and what I have heard of her brilliance and...sexuality (rumors about horses), made me want to read about her. From this book I got to know Catherine. That's what I was hoping. Through ample research examples; letters from Catherine and from her peers, historical accounts...I really trusted Rounding as capable and also fair conveyor of Catherine's world (to the best of her ability!). She was committed to FACTS, yet facts are not always boring...in fact, most of these facts are quite entertaining! Some facts in the book were better than fiction. Some things in Catherine's life were so amazing that I had to call a friend in the middle of the book just to express my AWE. Some surprises I found were how poorly Catherine was treated at times...the state of her marriage...The state of Russia. Still, as a casual reader, some of this book does get dense at times. I personally have trouble navigating through all the Russian names and some of the politics. That being said, I learned so much more from this book than I anticipated. It was worth the commitment to the book to get through the challenging parts. This book is not sensationalism, although it is...at times Sensational. Catherine was a much more brilliant and focused woman than I could have hoped. A true leader! Certainly she put in her dues to acquire so much experience and respect. The romantic escapades really take a back seat to the basis of Catherine's true power and expertise, but I wasn't upset by this at all. Lot's of interesting characters in this book besides Catherine too. This will get your imagination going. Do read this book.

Wonderfully written. The extensive research is obvious. Fantastic picutes, and little extras: list of characters, family tree, etc. One of those books I could not put down and wish it never ended at the same time.

Empress Catherine II, usually referred to as Catherine the Great, was one of the most fascinating figures of power in Europe. Born Sophie Frederica Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst in 1729, she was Empress of All the Russias from 1759 until her death in 1796. Ms Rounding has provided a biography of Catherine which, while it is based on the person, covers the history and politics as well. So, who was Catherine and how did a relatively minor princess who was not even Russian born become the longest reigning monarch in Russian imperial history? This is a fascinating study in power and politics as well as a personal journey through the life of one of the most intriguing women documented in history. Catherine herself was a complex character: a tireless legislator; a generous patron of philosophers (including men such as Denis Diderot and Voltaire); and an art collector (her systematic acquisition formed the basis of the great `Hermitage' collection). Catherine was a dutiful daughter, a domineering mother and an indulgent grandmother. Catherine was also a prodigious writer, and it is largely through her writings that Ms Rounding has compiled this biography. This book is not hagiographic. Although Ms Rounding is sympathetic to Catherine, she does not ignore the retinue of lovers, the intrigues and the rumours. If you are interested in this specific period of history, or in studies of female rulers, I recommend this book. Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Finally, a biography of Catherine the Great that doesn't turn her in to the scarlet woman of the century, or the loose woman with the heart of gold. She is seen as a woman who tried to do what was best, didn't necessarily always succeed, but never gave up on herself or her adopted country. A very modern woman in a very un-modern time!

It's one of those surprises of history that one of Russia's most effective rulers was a woman, and not Russian at all. The Russian Empire after the death of Peter the Great in the early eighteenth century became a 'winner-take-all, free-for-all' between various descendants of his. By the time that the daughter of Peter, Elizabeth Petrovna, seized power and imprisoned the infant Ivan VI in a remote fortress, there were only two claimants to the Romanov crown left -- herself, and her nephew, a teenager named Peter. Clearly, the best solution to further palace coups and possible uprisings was to establish a clear line of succession. A bride must be found and as quickly as possible. A Roman Catholic would not be acceptable, but a German Protestant princess who would not mind converting to Russian Orthodoxy just might work. And for one princess in particular, Empress Elizabeth had a soft-spot in her heart. Once, Elizabeth had been engaged to a German prince, but when he had died, the marriage did not happen. This princeling, however, had a sister -- Johanna, who in turn married the prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, and she had a daughter who was just a year younger than Grand Duke Peter. Sophie Fredericka Auguste was a lively, intelligent teenager when she arrived in Russia with her mother for a closer look by the Empress. She wasn't exactly pretty, but she had a pair of beautiful dark blue eyes, a quick mind, and a willingness to please. Both the Empress and the Grand Duke liked what they saw, and after some careful negotiations, Sophie converted to Orthodoxy, and became Catherine Alexeyevna, and married Peter. The one problem was Johanna, who kept trying to steal the show from her daughter, dabbled in political machinations, and quite nearly ruined it all for her daughter before being returned to Germany. But married life wasn't that easy for young Catherine. Not only did she have to deal with Empress Elizabeth's whims and capricious nature, her husband Peter was less than ideal as a spouse. For one, he wasn't that eager to consummate the marriage, prefering to scrape away at his violin, and indulging his whims for playing with soldiers, both toy and real ones. Indeed, as years passed, Catherine found herself in a very unenviable state -- no heir, and an ever irritated Empress, along with a husband who cared nothing for her. There was really only one solution -- Catherine focused her mind on educating herself in politics and Russia, determined to become entirely Russian, and cutting off her homeland. She also used every scrap of charm and intelligence that she had, slowly gathering a coterie of supporters and finally managing to get her husband to make the marriage a reality. But that didn't mean the battle was over -- both of her infant children, Paul and Anna, were taken away from her and raised by Empress Elizabeth, and Grand Duke Peter started to consider divorcing Catherine. Finally, when Peter became Tsar, Catherine knew she had to act to save